Unexpected
by Fuyumi
Summary: Having successfully set up her other best friend, Hermione turns her attention to finding a match for Harry.
1. Chapter One

**Unexpected**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc. 

**Chapter One**   
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Hermione Granger hummed tunelessly as she silently congratulated herself on this victory of hers. It had taken months of wheedling, begging, and almost threatening to get to this day, but it had finally arrived. She had persuaded Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley to go out on their first date together. 

A large grin covered her face at that thought. Ever since first year, Hermione had looked after Harry and Ron, her best friends. They had an awful predilection for landing themselves in trouble, despite all of Harry's protestations that he never went looking for it. Hermione knew that she couldn't watch over them for the rest of her life. Yet, over the years, not much had reassured her that they'd be able to fend for themselves if she ever left them. She had decided shortly after their fourth year to help them along their paths of love, because anyone who had eyes could see how ineptly they performed when it came to arranging a date for the Yule Ball. 

Ron had been the easier of the two. Hermione had concentrated her efforts for much of her sixth year on finding Ron his match. Harry hadn't been too communicative at the start of the year, and besides, she knew he needed his space. He wasn't ready for that right after Sirius' death. Hermione knew that if she had managed to set him up back then that the relationship would have failed. Harry needed time to mourn before he could think romantically about a witch. His own brief fling with Cho Chang showed the consequences of a person trying to start a new relationship so soon after the death of a loved one. Because of this, Hermione was able to use all of her resources in getting Ron a girlfriend. 

Looking back, that was a good thing. It had taken her nearly the whole year to get Ron to notice how Luna fancied him, much less ask her out on a date. Hermione had felt for the poor girl during those months when Ron was oblivious to her attentions. Luna didn't always seem all there, but that didn't mean she had no feelings. If anything, Hermione thought that meant Luna was more sensitive than most, though she bore up remarkably well when Ron had spent all of January composing a poem to send on Valentine's Day to another witch. 

Hermione had nothing but admiration for Luna's behavior during that whole incident. She hadn't hexed or yelled at Hermione for receiving that Valentine. Hermione knew she would have been hard pressed to do the same if she had been in Luna's shoes. 

Hermione still couldn't believe how clueless she had been about Ron's crush on her. The perfume for Christmas should have been a big hint. Hell! The fight they had after the Yule Ball should have told her that he fancied her. Hermione knew, however, that he wasn't the one for her and that she wasn't the one for him. They would never have any children, for one, as they'd always be too busy fighting. That wouldn't work out for Hermione, because she wanted a family. Not seven, thank you very much, but at least two so they wouldn't get lonely. Luna was a much better match for Ron, as she could take his teasing in stride. Somehow, Hermione had never been able to do the same. Ron's style of teasing was too harsh and hurtful; she much preferred Harry's way of teasing because it never made her doubt that he cared very much for her. The trouble had been getting Ron to see what was so clear to her. 

That had been accomplished not so much by Hermione as by Luna. One day, towards the end of the term, Hermione had locked the two of them in an empty classroom and had left. They had both been rather miffed when she returned a mere two hours later. Ron's hair had been mussed up, and they were both flushed. Hermione had apologized for the interruption, saying that she couldn't very leave them alone there for the entire evening. Luna had replied that yes, she bloody well could and then slammed the door shut on Hermione's face. 

Hermione had been worried when Luna had told her that one of their daughters would be named for Hermione. When they had come back from the summer holidays with Luna looking as slim as ever, Hermione figured out that Luna must have been having her on. Of course, the way those two were publicly fond of each other, Hermione thought that Luna would be lucky if they only had seven. 

With the advent of seventh year, Hermione had turned her efforts into setting Harry up. Fortunately, she had already known who was the lucky witch: Ginny Weasley. That ought to have been half the battle right there. Unfortunately, both Ginny and Harry had been notoriously stubborn about her setting them up on a blind date. Hermione hadn't dared tell them what she was planning. Ron would have had a fit if he knew, and one of them would have told him. But it ought to be obvious to anyone with a sense of romance that they were meant to be together. Harry's father had fallen for a redhead and it just seemed right that he would do the same. Not to mention the fact that the girl in her sighed to think about Harry falling for a girl who had loved him but her love had been spurned. Hermione knew they would get along splendidly once they spent some time alone together. Better yet, Ginny wouldn't be the type to get jealous of Hermione's friendship with Harry. That had been a very important factor for Hermione when she had selected Ginny. Ginny was a bit more flighty and bit more insensitive than she would have liked, but she respected the fact that Hermione and Harry were best friends. That said a lot for Ginny, if you asked Hermione. 

It had taken months of wrangling with the two of them before she had got them to agree to the date. Hermione had been able to cajole Ginny into agreeing by threatening to never, ever help her with Potions if she didn't. She hadn't pulled the same trick with Harry, as she didn't think that was fair. Harry did kind of have to worry about defeating You-Know-Who and therefore, he couldn't always spend as much time as he ought to on his studies. Harry had whinged and pouted and downright refused to even spend a minute with the witch before Hermione had finally pinpointed the source of his complaints. It turned out he didn't want to have to deal with a witch he didn't know and who would stare constantly at his scar. Hermione had reassured him that he had known the witch since first year and that she was too reserved (a white lie, if Hermione ever told one – Ginny was anything but) to ask him directly. Harry had readily agreed after that. 

So Hermione couldn't be blamed for patting herself on the back. It had been a long and winding road, but she had finally accomplished what she had set out to do. Ron would be with Luna, and Harry would be with Ginny and everything would be right in the world. Hermione had been tempted to seat herself in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for the return of the happy couple but thought the better of it. They might be giggling and wanting some private time – and she didn't want to get a glimpse of anything that might be going on between them. Instead, she found herself a safe nook in the library, contenting herself with planning to tell them, "I told you so," several hundred times over the next couple months. 

All of a sudden, someone set down his hands on either side of the book in front of her. "That wasn't a very nice trick to play," Harry spoke softly into her ear. Hermione whirled around and nearly tumbled off of her chair. She would have fallen if it weren't for Harry reaching out to steady her. There were some advantages to having a friend who played Quidditch incessantly. Lightning-quick reflexes was one of them. He took the seat next to her as she tried to stop her heart from racing. Somehow, some way, he always managed to do that to her. 

"What wasn't a nice trick?" she asked him. 

"Setting me up like that," he replied. 

"But you can see why I couldn't just tell you how it was." Hermione frowned noticing he was alone, despite the fact that he should have still been with Ginny. "How did it go? Did you get along?" 

"We got along brilliantly." Hermione's heart soared at those words. She had been right. "But that shouldn't come as a surprise," he continued. "We're friends, and we have a lot in common." 

"I'm not surprised," she said. "Though where is Ginny? I thought she'd be with you." 

"I think she's off snogging another wizard right now." 

"What?" Hermione screeched. "But she was on a date with you!" 

"Not because she wanted to. She only agreed to humor you, Hermione, and she soon saw another wizard that interested her more than me." He shrugged. "I don't mind." 

"But . . . but . . . oh! I'm so sorry, Harry." She was going to wring Ginny's little neck the next time she saw her. 

"You ought to be, fooling me like that." 

"Fooling you like that?" She wrinkled her face in puzzlement. That was the second time he had said something like that. "I wasn't trying to fool you. I was always honest about this being a blind date between you—" 

"And a witch you said I've known since first year. I didn't think that would be Ginny." 

"But you met at King's Cross before you got to Hogwarts. Ginny told me so, back in second year." 

"I hardly think that counts." 

"Well if it doesn't . . ." Hermione paused. Given Harry's phrasing, it seemed as though there was a witch that Harry was interested in. Not Ginny, and she supposed she would never live that mistake down, but that wasn't important at the moment. What was important was getting Harry together with the witch he fancied. "So who is she? This witch that you've known since first year that you fancy?" 

"I didn't say that—" 

"No, but you perked up after I mentioned that you've known the witch I was setting you up with since first year." Hermione frowned. "I can't think for the life of me who she could possibly be. The only witch you spent any great length of time was me." 

Harry groaned. "I can't believe you don't know." 

"Well, I don't. And you're not helping here. Maybe you could give me a clue?" 

"I thought it'd be obvious." 

"It's not, Harry." Hermione was beginning to feel a bit aggravated with the boy. Bad enough that he didn't like the witch she had thought would be best for him, but for him to make her feel so obtuse as well . . . it was all she could do to not scream aloud with frustration. "Well, who is the lucky witch?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently. 

Harry turned bright red and plopped his head flat against the table. "You cannot seriously be asking me that question," he said. 

"I am seriously asking you that question," she said. "Don't you know me by now? I wouldn't ask f I didn't know." 

"True," he said almost mournfully. "You wouldn't. You'd be . . ." He trailed off, not finishing the sentence as if he couldn't think of what Hermione would do. 

"I'd be busy arranging your first date," she told him. 

"I doubt that." 

Hermione yanked at the back of his robe, pulling up his head so he would meet her gaze. "Harry Potter! I would do that! I'd even help you ask her out, if you didn't have the nerve to do so yourself." 

"That would be a neat trick," he said, smiling to himself. 

"So who is she?" she demanded again. 

"Well . . ." When he paused, Hermione was about ready to skin him alive, making her wait for his answer like that. 

Then he did something she did not expect. 

He kissed her.   


**Author's note:** This is just a short story that I have on my hard drive that I thought I'd post. Yes, there is more and I'll be posting the next chapter next week. I hope you liked the start of this fic and I'd love to hear what you think in a review. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Unexpected**   
**Disclaimer: **I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc.   


**Chapter Two**   


Hermione had never considered herself for the role of Harry's girlfriend, despite the fact that she had considered just about every other girl in the school for the part. Truth be told, she hadn't thought of being in a serious relationship with anyone while at still school. She was simply too busy. It was hard enough that one year when Krum wouldn't leave her alone. She had liked the Bulgarian wizard, but the end of the year had reminded her that she had better things to do with her time, mainly maintaining her high marks while helping Harry stay alive. 

Besides, she wasn't pretty enough or sweet enough for him. Hermione had seen the witches that had attracted Harry's attention, and they were all far more beautiful than her. She didn't hold that against him. She could understand why he'd be attracted to those other witches. You'd have to be blind not to. Of course, there was a tiny part of her that railed against the unfairness of boys not fancying her or other girls who weren't lookers, but there wasn't much she could do about that. And she told herself that she didn't mind because that meant she had more time to devote to her studies and making sure that Harry had the help he needed. 

That was another thing. She worried about him enough as it was. She couldn't imagine how much she'd worry about him if they were involved with each other. She'd be a complete nervous wreck at all his Quidditch matches . . . well, actually she already was. Hermione knew she'd be worse though. That was more proof that she wasn't the right witch for him. 

Harry abruptly pulled back away from her. "Merlin! I've just made a fool of myself," he whispered. He stood up. "So sorry about that Hermione. Let's forget all about this, okay?" 

"Why?" she asked, wondering how he expected her to do that. He had _kissed _her. A girl would have trouble forgetting that. 

"Because . . . because . . . because I want us to still be friends, okay?" His eyes were dark with emotion, and Hermione flinched, sorry that she had caused him any pain. She shouldn't have sat there after the kiss, without saying a word. She knew his past history with witches. She lunged for his arm as he turned to walk away. 

"Harry. Stay. Please." 

"Why?" he asked. "Oh no. You want to talk about this, don't you? I don't see what there's to talk about, Hermione. You couldn't make it any more clear that you're not interested. So can we forget that this ever happened?" 

"Do you want to?" 

"Yes, very much. It didn't go how I thought it would." 

"I see. You didn't like it, did you?" She hung her head sadly. In addition to never seeing this coming, evidently Harry thought she was a bad kisser. Today was definitely not her day. 

"Hermione! It's not that! It's—" 

"I liked it very much," she said softly. That was the truth. She hadn't expected it to happen but when it did, she could feel herself melting into his kiss. She looked up at him. "Just so you know, you're a very good kisser." Her words seemed to galvanize him into action as he lifted her up out of her seat and pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him back. She opened her mouth under his, their tongues clashing, her hands ruffling his hair, his hands roaming down her back to settle on her arse to hold her more tightly to him. 

When they parted, he gently lowered her to the table. They both were breathing heavily, and Hermione could feel her heart racing. He stood between her legs, which made her blush to think how this would look to an observer. Harry was a very good kisser. But that was good. That meant she could do this. 

"I think I said I'd ask your witch out for you if you couldn't," she said. 

"I do recall you saying something along those lines," he replied, smiling. 

"Well?" 

"Well what?" 

"Can't you ask her out yourself?" 

Harry shook his head. "I think it'd be more fun to watch you do the honors." 

"Harry!" She thumped his chest roundly. "That's not a very – fine! I'll do it. Next weekend at Hogsmeade should be good, right?" 

"That would be perfect," he said. 

"Good. I'll let you know her response later." 

"Later? Why not now?" 

She blushed. "Because I'm not going to ask her in front of you," she said. 

"Fine. Go on and ruin my fun." He pouted and Hermione was hard pressed not to kiss his lower lip. "Would you go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend? As a date?" 

"Hmm . . . I think I might need to consult my schedule," she started. He lowered his hands, moving as if to tickle her, and she quickly changed her tune before he could do so. "Fine, fine. Yes, I'll go." 

"How about the weekend after?" 

"That's not a Hogsmeade weekend," she replied. "We're lucky enough to get two in a row." 

"Well, we could spend some time together outside," he said. "How about it? Can you fit me into your busy schedule?" 

"Yes. I can." 

"And the weekend after that?" 

"Harry! What are you planning?" 

"I'm making sure I'll have some time with you alone, that's all." He frowned, distracted by another thought. "Though the weekends are far apart—" 

"I see you every day!" 

"Yes, but I'd like to snog you every day. At least once, preferably more." Hermione blushed even redder than before. "I guess there's nothing to do but to ask this. Will you be my girlfriend?" 

"Yes," she replied. 

"Excellent." He kissed her again. "And damn! I'd like to spend more time with you but I've got Quidditch practice." 

"Which takes precedence over a measly thing such as a girlfriend," she noted with a smile. 

"Hardly. I'd skip it except our captain wouldn't like that. You wouldn't want Ron to skin me alive, would you?" He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. It would be hard for any witch to tell him no after that. 

"No, I wouldn't," she said. "So go. I'll see you later." 

"You can count on that." He embraced her one last time, before walking away, stopping every so often to look at where she sat, as if he couldn't believe his luck. When he had finally left, Hermione heaved a sigh of relief. 

She could do _this_. She could be his girlfriend. Hermione supposed that she should have known. Ron had fancied her, so why not Harry? It must be because she was the witch they knew best. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she was suited for either one of them. It was too bad that she hadn't seen this one coming before it was too late. She couldn't avoid it now as she had with Ron, not after a kiss like that. Hermione would have to be his girlfriend until he figured out that he didn't want her and that he wanted some other witch. Hermione didn't know who that witch would be. She had thought that it'd be Ginny, but Ginny had spoiled her chance by leaving Harry alone like that. Hermione crossed her fingers and hoped that whoever the lucky witch was, that she'd be understanding of her friendship with Harry. For Hermione didn't think that she could live without it. 

Reasoning that Harry was now far enough away from the library, Hermione set to packing up all her books. She hadn't got as far as she would have liked in revising for her N.E.W.T.s, but she had other things to do that were more urgent. It was bad enough that she had been blindsided by Harry's crush on her. It was even worse that she had agreed to be his girlfriend because she had been left with no real alternative, due to her initial ignorance. However, she simply could not go through with it without formulating some sort of a plan. 

She left the library and headed back towards her room, taking the steps up two at a time in her rush. She didn't have a second to lose. Practice wouldn't last forever, no matter how Wood-ish Ron had become since being chosen as the new captain. Hermione smiled to think that. She and Harry had joked about there being some sort of Gryffindor Quidditch ghost who possessed each and every one of the team captains. That would be the easiest explanation for each captain's similar single-mindedness when it came to scheduling all manners of practices and drills in preparation for the season. 

Once in her room, she put her books away and drew out a fresh piece of parchment. It was time to start planning. Hermione wanted to be a good girlfriend for Harry. Part of her thought that perhaps she should try to be insufferable, but that had been overruled. After all, she wanted to remain friends with him even after they broke up, and besides, doing something poorly was not her style. The mere thought of being purposefully mediocre made her skin crawl with distaste. Hermione was grateful that she had the privacy of the Head Girl's room to make her plans. She hated to think what would happen if any hint of them got out. 

Hermione nibbled at the end of her quill as she pondered how to start her plan. She needed two parts obviously. The first part would consist of all the things she would need to do in order to be a good girlfriend. It would be easier to write that out if she knew what Harry expected of her. She sighed. She wasn't about to ask him that. The other thing she needed was a good exit strategy. This relationship wasn't going to last forever. She needed a way to get out once Harry figured out that she wasn't his type. Hopefully, she would have spotted the perfect witch for him by that time. That would make getting out of the relationship so much easier. 

With a draft of what she could say to him when he realized that he wanted someone else, Hermione turned to thinking of what he would expect of a girlfriend. Obviously, he'd want to spend time with her; he had more or less said so himself earlier. Of course, Hermione already spent a fair amount of time with Harry and had trouble seeing how she could spend more time with him and keep up with her studies. Perhaps she wouldn't have to. Perhaps he'd be satisfied with simply spending time with her with the presumption that they were now a couple spending time together instead of just two very good friends. Yet, Hermione didn't want to leave it at that. That line of reasoning seemed very cold and made it seem as if she couldn't stand to be around him more than was necessary. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Hermione was willing to spend more time with Harry, but she didn't want to get behind on her studies. 

A knock on her door distracted Hermione from her plotting. She quickly stowed the parchment away, not wanting anyone to know about it. She crossed the room and opened to door to find Harry waiting for her. "Is practice over?" she asked. She wanted to kick herself for that. It was such a stupid thing to say. Of course, practice was over. There was no way Ron would let any of his teammates go before then. 

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "Can I come in? Your poor boyfriend is all worn out from speed drills." He positively beamed as he said that. 

Hermione stood aside, motioning him to come in and closing the door behind him. "I bet you are. What is Ron thinking? The way you've been going you'll be in too much pain to win any matches." Almost shyly, she took his hand and lead him over to the couch. "Would you like to sit down?" she asked. 

"Hermione. No need to be that formal," he said. "It's not like I've been here before." 

Hermione pouted. "Yes, I know but—Harry!" That last was said as he sat down and pulled her into his lap. 

"There! This is comfortable." The boy looked enormously pleased with himself. 

"For me, but not for you, I'd think. Aren't you still sore?" 

"You're as light as a feather, Hermione." She felt her cheeks burn as he said that. It was a nice thought, but definitely not true. "If I am ever so weak that I can't hold you, I'll be left with no choice . . ." 

"No choice?" she asked. "No choice but to do what?" 

"To quit Quidditch, of course." 

"Harry!" 

"And here I thought you'd be pleased. Don't you think it's too dangerous?" 

"Yes, but if you're going to quit, use that as an excuse instead of me. Ron will never forgive me if you use me as one." 

"Why should you need his forgiveness? It'd be his fault anyway that I quit." 

"Hey! What's all this talk about Harry quitting Quidditch?" Ron asked as he stepped into the room. Hermione glowered at him. It never failed. He always forgot to knock. Hermione wondered whatever possessed her to let him know the password to her room. "Oh. Right. I'm supposed to knock first. Don't worry, Hermione. I'll remember next time. So what's this about Harry leaving the team?" Ron turned to glare at Harry, who had buried his head in Hermione's hair. 

"Maybe a locking charm would be a good idea?" he said quietly. 

"It might," she said, nodding in agreement. "I'd give you the unlocking charm, of course." She thought that he might like that. 

"Oh! Twenty-four hour access to my Hermione." Hermione couldn't see his face, but she knew he was smiling. At least she had got that part right. "How could I refuse?" 

"Technically, there's no such thing as twenty-four hour access as I doubt Snape would be very understanding if you tried to snog me in Potions." 

"That's because that git hasn't got any for over twenty years. He's jealous, simple as that." 

"Hey! Do you two remember me?" Ron waved his hands in front of them. "And Harry, you're not really going to quit, are you? You weren't that bad today." Hermione glared at Ron yet again. He must have gone nutters for him to insinuate that Harry wasn't a great player. "And don't look at me like that, Hermione. Yes, Harry's good for his age, but he needs to work on keeping his speed up while turning. He tends to slow down too much when he really doesn't need to. You only need to slow down enough to be able to maintain control into the curve. You'd be amazed at how hard that concept is for him." 

"Something tells me that he was going fast enough to break his neck during practice." 

"Yeah, but that's Quidditch. What do you expect?" As Hermione sighed and covered her face with her hands, he glared at her. "So is that what this is about? Has Hermione finally convinced you to give it up?" He started to pace the room, his face growing red with anger. "Hermione! How could you? We need those points! Just wait until everyone else in Gryffindor hears about this." 

Hermione waited for Harry to leap in to defend her, but he was no help at all. The boy was too busy laughing and pretending not to for him to do anything. She rolled her eyes. So much for a boyfriend who would protect her. "It's not that, Ron. Harry's not quitting Quidditch. He's only been talking about it," she explained. 

Ron stopped in his tracks. "But he's been talking about it. That's not good." He walked over to take a seat by his friends. "Hermione, move off of Harry's lap. I need to talk to him." Harry's hands tightened on her waist, and Hermione could only wriggle against him as she tried to get off in vain. Hermione blushed for what seemed the millionth time that day. The blood vessels in her face were certainly getting a work out today. 

"Hermione? You're still on Harry," Ron said. He was brilliant when it came to pointing out the obvious. "I did mention needing to talk to him? To encourage him? So if you could leave the two of us alone . . ." 

"I am not being kicked out of my room, Ron Weasley!" Her eyebrow twitched. Sometimes, she wished he would learn to think before speaking. She settled back against Harry, determined not to budge an inch. 

"Fine. Me and Harry will go someplace else to talk." Ron stopped, suddenly realizing the position his friends were in. It wasn't every day that you saw Hermione so close to Harry, though half the school knew that Harry was eager to be with her. "Is there something you're not telling me?" 

"What could that be?" Hermione asked. 

"That the two of you are—" 

"Yes, Ron, we're dating," said Harry. Hermione pondered leaning forward to step on his foot. He was quiet when Ron was accusing her of being a bad influence on him, but he spoke up quickly enough when it came to letting people know that they were dating now. 

"You are? Since when?" 

"Since this afternoon. Right before practice." 

"Oh! That's why you were . . . Quidditch is good for dating witches, Harry. Gives you more stamina. Ask any Weasley . . . well, any of them except Percy. And Ginny, unless there's something she's not told us yet." 

"I don't know if you can call it dating because as of yet, we've not been on a date," Hermione put in. She could feel Harry's hurt silence at her words and heaved a sigh. She hadn't meant that. She had thought that he'd understand that joke. She twisted her neck so she could see him. "Harry! Don't look like that! I was only teasing," she said. His lower lip extended even further as he continued to mope. "Oh!" she said, trying to figure out how to give him a hug without falling off his lap. 

"Going for the pity snog?" Ron asked conversationally. Hermione's head whipped around to glance at him when he said that. 

"Thanks Ron. Just ruin it for me, why don't you?" Harry said, sounding not that sad at all. Hermione's jaw dropped as she realized that he'd looked so sad to try to get her to comfort him. "Ah, Hermione, don't be upset. You can't blame a boy for trying." 

"If you wanted a kiss," she said, "then why didn't you kiss me while Ron was fuming about you leaving the team? That would've shut him up and maybe we would have been left in peace." 

"I didn't know that you wanted me to." 

"Why wouldn't I?" Hermione wondered if he was more scarred than she had thought from his one fling. Of course, she wanted him to kiss her. He didn't have to ask for permission. 

"I didn't know you were willing to snog in public." He grinned and his eyes filled with glee. "I'll remember that for future reference." 

"Okay, that's enough." Ron clapped his hands together. "It's time for dinner, which you two cannot skip as Harry needs to keep his strength up." 

"We could always ask the House Elfs to bring something up for us to eat," said Hermione. 

Ron glowered at her. "Yes you could, but then I'd not be able to hear about how all this happened. So get up you two! Let's get going." He spun around and left Hermione's room to go to the Great Hall. Exchanging a single glance, Harry and Hermione agreed to follow their friend. Hermione was glad that he was taking the news so well. A part of her had been afraid that he would have been jealous because she had completely rebuffed his advances last year. Fortunately, her sensible side had been right and Ron wasn't jealous. It would have reflected poorly upon him if he had been, as he did have Luna now. 

"So this started this afternoon, right?" Ron shook his head. "As your captain, I'm glad you made it to practice, Harry. But as your best friend, I have to wonder what the blazes is wrong with you! What's more tempting—Quidditch or your girl?" 

"That depends on which Ron is asking the question." 

"Hey!" Hermione stomped her foot, shooting daggers at both her friends with her eyes. "So much for loyalty here. The answer should be the same regardless." 

"Fine, fine. I shan't lie then. I love Hermione, but Quidditch has always been—gah!" Harry grimaced with pain as Hermione both elbowed him and stepped on his foot. "Hermione! Was that necessary?" 

"You're getting off easy after saying something like that!" 

"Good going, Harry! Not even together for a day yet and already you're in the dog house. This must be some sort of a record." Ron was laughing his head off at the scene in front of him. His laughter stopped abruptly as Hermione focused her gaze on him. 

"I'll deal with you later," she said. "Don't think that I'm going to forget that you're a bad influence on Harry." 

"Me? A bad influence? Perish the thought!" 

Hermione wasn't moved by his claims of innocence. "Remember the blue hair incident from last year? It's not that difficult to modify that spell to make a person's skin change color instead." 

"I like Ron's skin the way it is now, Hermione Granger," said Luna from behind the Trio. They all whirled around to look at her. "If you must threaten someone, threaten Harry. Ron's mine." The last bit was said possessively as Luna took Ron's hand into hers. 

Ron beamed. "I knew I could count on Luna to defend me," he announced. 

"That must be nice," Hermione noted. She glanced sideways at Harry. "Can't say that I know how that feels like." 

"Hey! That's not fair, Hermione. I've stood up for you plenty of times when it comes to Malfoy and his goons." 

"I can take care of myself, Harry, when it comes to those prats. But—" 

"I'm more of a challenge," Ron finished for her. 

"I wasn't going to say that." Hermione strode away from the others, trying not to clench her fists or grit her teeth. Hermione didn't know why she was upset, but she was. If Harry really did care more for Quidditch than her, then why was he bothering to even try dating her? Obviously, he wasn't ready for a serious relationship. Maybe that was why he was interested. He didn't want a real relationship, and so he was settling for her. 

That was almost kind of insulting, given everything she had done for him in the past. He had saved her as well, but she had done plenty for him. It wasn't asking much, was it, for him to value her more than a stupid game? 

"I think you've really done it now," Ron whispered to Harry. 

"Any suggestions?" Hermione rolled her eyes. You had to be an idiot to think that Ron could give out decent love advice. Besides, didn't those idiots know she could still hear them? 

"Just grab her and give her a kiss she'll never forget!" was Ron's enthusiastic counsel. 

"Like this!" said Luna, and from the sounds emanating from behind her, Luna must have decided to a demonstration was in order, leading to Ron and Luna being once again joined together at the lips. Hermione rolled her eyes. Those two were both eager, but it was clear who was in charge. Not that there was anything wrong with that. The feminist in her sort of believed that it was the best arrangement for them to have Luna in charge. 

The soft thud of footsteps behind her told Hermione that Harry had quickened his pace to catch up with her and leave the lovebirds behind. It was too bad that he had grown so much in the last year, as now it was virtually impossible for her to outrun him. Oh well. It wouldn't be very dignified to run away from him. And there was no reason to run away. She was upset that she didn't mean that much to him in the great scheme of things, but fortunately, she wasn't in love with him. That was good because he was meant for another witch, one he would cherish more than anything else. 

"Hermione!" he called. "Please don't be mad. I was only kidding." She remained silent as she continued to head towards the Great Hall. She was halted by him putting his arms around her and lifting her up and around to face him. "You must know that I wasn't serious," he said, looking pitifully at her. 

"If you're trying for a pity snog again, it's not going to happen," she informed him. 

"Damn Ron for saying that. And no, I wasn't trying . . . this time around," he finished truthfully. "You really are hacked off at us, aren't you?" 

"Brilliant deduction there, Harry. What was your first clue?" 

"I didn't need one. After knowing you for so long, it's kind of obvious what to look for. And I'm sorry, Hermione, really I am." 

"So am I." Suddenly, Hermione was taken by the urge to play a really evil girlfriend. "By the way, have you started studying for N.E.W.T.s? I'm afraid I've fallen behind." 

Harry's expression was full of confusion. They hadn't been discussing that subject, although it was a natural one for Hermione to turn to. "Hermione, you're way ahead of us," he said. 

"That doesn't mean that I'm not behind in revising. I think I'll have to spend most of next week catching up . . . including next week—" The look on Harry's face prevented Hermione from finishing that thought. It was indescribable. She didn't know if he was bursting with anger or on the verge of tears or both. 

"You know, I did apologize." Harry's voice was quiet, but that made Hermione pay all the more attention to him. You knew you really crossed a line with him when he was upset and not shouting at you. "Whatever it is that set you off, if you'd tell me what it is, I'd make sure not to do it again. And I never thought you'd be the one to break a promise so easily." 

Hermione crossed her arms. He had a point, but she wasn't ready to concede. "I'd rather spend my time studying than spending it with someone who prefers that blasted game to me." 

A look of horror crossed Harry's face. "Hermione! You can't believe that!" 

"You've given me little reason to doubt it.:" 

"Damn it!" he cursed. "I wasn't serious. Not the slightest bit. Quidditch is fun and all and I'd miss it . . . but you, you're the best. I don't know what I'd do without you." His voice dropped, as if he were afraid to say his next words. "I love you." 

Hermione knew from his eyes that he thought he meant it. His eyes were the most expressive part of him, and Hermione thought that they accounted for half of his charm. If she were in love with him, she knew that she'd be fascinated by them. And at the moment, she couldn't refuse the silent plea in them. "You mean it?" she asked softly, looking down at her feet. 

"You know I do." He reached out to take her hand. "I won't tease you like that again, I promise. If I made you doubt how much I care for you . . . I am so sorry." 

"Me too." She glanced up to smile at him. "And I am looking forward to next weekend." To her surprise, that was the complete truth. She was looking forward to next weekend and spending more time with him in general. He could be so sweet at times, though that probably wasn't what any teenage wizard wanted to be called. It was certainly in her notes not to use that word unless in response to receiving a gift. But a confession like his, that was sort of a gift and it was hard not to tell him how sweet he was and how much she cared for him. That made it so much easier to be his girlfriend, while he waited for the real thing. The only problem was that a tiny voice in the back of her head was telling her that she was already in too deep. 

They stood in silence there for several moments, holding hands, each lost in thought. "It seems they've got the making up part down pat," said Ron as he approached the couple. He and Luna had finished their snog session and had caught up with the other two. 

"Except they've forgotten about the kissing part of making up," his girlfriend noted. "Silly of them, isn't it? That's the best part." 

"I know. Especially when you realize that kissing is just the general term for what goes on . . ." 

"That's enough, Ron," Hermione interrupted him quickly before he could go in to too much detail, as he was wont to do. "There are some things that I'd prefer you keep private." 

"He's a briefs kind of wizard," Luna informed her suddenly. 

"Like that. I didn't need to know that." Hermione hoped she would forget that and the awful image it brought up. There were some things that you did not want to know about your best friends, and that was one of them. Though she had to admit she was curious about Harry. She thought she kind of had a right to know considering that she was his current girlfriend. Yet, it was surprising that Luna was sharing such information with her, given how possessive Luna could be about Ron. "And why are you telling me this anyway?" 

"Because you were the only one amongst us who didn't know." Luna shrugged. "I'm sure the boys know after living together for so long." 

"I don't look," said Harry hurriedly. 

"Neither do I," Ron agreed. 

"There's no reason to be embarrassed," said Luna. "Girls look at each other all the time." 

From the reaction of the two wizards, Hermione thought that didn't calm them down at all. She decided to help them out this time. "Shouldn't we hurry up? Dinner's going to start shortly." 

"Good idea, Hermione!" said Harry. 

"Yup. Absolutely brilliant, you are!" added Ron. The two of them dashed away, eager to flee the conversation. The witches ambled after them, content in taking their time to follow. 

"And here I was enjoying this conversation. Oh well." Luna turned to address the other witch. "You're lucky that you and Harry are in the same House. There'll be so much more opportunities for everything." 

"What makes you say that?" 

"Who, not what. Ginny's very expressive on the subject." 

"I can imagine." Hermione thought that might be the reason why Luna had went off on Ron's unmentionables. Ginny was bad about censoring herself and often went into far greater detail than anyone wanted to hear. "You've been spending a lot of time with Ginny lately, haven't you?" she asked. 

"Yes, because it would be good to know one of my future sister-in-laws," she said matter-of-factly. 

"You are that sure?" 

"Of course. Aren't you?" Luna tilted her head to consider Hermione. "No, you're not, are you? Which is ridiculous because you two are so tight that you're more certain than the sun rising tomorrow. You shouldn't sell yourself short. And you should trust the one you love."   


**Author's note:** The next chapter will be up within the next week. I hope you liked this one, and I'd love it if you could please leave me a review so I know what you thought of it. Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter: **Shawn Pickett**, **lillyjoe14**, **riddikulusleigh**, **Izabel**, **Angelic Demon16**, **lilmatchgirl007**, **angie2190**, **hermionepotter141**, **PriestessKikyoMarie**, **Amynoelle**, **catlyn**, **LeslieGlady**, **Fire-bound heart**, **Desktop Creator**, **roxy-babe88**, **Lythande1972**, **CeHSGoodGirl**, **LilyEvansPotter3**, **grin**, **Falling**, **Star19**, **DiezeL**, **nienie**, **udderpd**, **Dashara**, **Male-chan**, **Gamali Howell**, **gaps**, **Hermione 512**, **HyPPerBuBBleGum143**, **Dark Angels**, **Jabba1**, **missradcliffe**, **Leah6**, **alisa**, **RedHandedLillian**, **lanna1186**, **Roan**, **fanjimmy**, **Andy**, **fanfiction addicted**, **juliet's rose**, **Zekintha**, **Mr Blader X**, **vinniesbabygrrl**, **Bulma Queen of Saiya-jin**, **malu**, and **The Dying Duck**. Thank you so much for leaving the reviews. It made my day to see how you all like this fic.   
  



	3. Chapter Three

**Unexpected**  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc. 

**Chapter Three**

Much to her amazement and disbelief, everyone took the news of her relationship with Harry in stride. All of Gryffindor acted as if they had expected it to happen eventually, and the other Houses were almost as bad. Malfoy was especially malicious in his taunts. Unfortunately, he had the sense enough to save the worst ones for Potions class. Both Ron and Harry had sworn revenge, and Hermione got the impression that all the seventh year boys were in on whatever it was that they were planning.

The days went on much as they did before, and Hermione found that the weekend was fast approaching. She didnt know what Harry planned for their visit to Hogsmeade. She was constantly revising her notes, particularly in regards on how to let him down if he should try and be . . . more intimate than she was ready for. Though with all their shows of affection already, they were one of the more passionate couples in the school. Hermione found it hard to think when Harry was touching her. More often than not, she was more concerned with getting closer to him.

As the weekend loomed nearer and nearer, Hermione noticed Ginny and Luna often talking together quietly, which made her wonder what they could be plotting. At least they werent likely to be planning the prank of the century like the Gryffindor boys were. Regrettably, their plans seemed to include her as they always stopped talking whenever she approached them. It was on Thursday afternoon after her Arithmancy class, when they pulled her aside.

"Come here, Hermione. Quick!" Ginny motioned to her from a table off to the side in the library.

Hermione sighed and walked over to them. "This had better be important."

"Oh it is, trust me."

Hermione began to worry. It did sound urgent. She hoped that Ginny hadnt got herself into any trouble. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong. We need to chat, thats all."

"We do?"

"Yes, we do, stressed Luna. We have to tell you about . . ."

"The birds and the bees," Ginny said.

Hermiones mouth dropped open. She couldnt believe her ears. What had made Ginny or Luna think that she needed them to explain that . . . sort of mechanics to her? "I know about them already, thanks," she said primly.

"Dont tell us were too late." Ginny looked distressed as she said that.

"You're much too late."

"Damn! I knew we should have told you about Wizarding contraception earlier."

"Wizarding contraception?"

"You know, to stop you . . . to prevent unwanted pregnancies," Ginny explained.

"I know that. But how do you know about it?" Hermione asked.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "My mum told me. That was a very painful morning, I tell you."

"And what does your mum know about the subject?"

"I'd think not much," put in Luna.

"I know. Just look at all the Weasleys running around."

"Whatever she knows, it cant be very effective. Maybe I should tell both you and Ginny what I know?" suggested Luna.

"What my mum knows works as she hasn't had a child since me, has she?" Ginny was steaming from her friends' remarks.

"Too little, too late," her friends chorused.

She turned around and stomped her foot with frustration. "You two are being impossible!" she exclaimed. "Besides," Ginny added, "where did you get your information from, Luna? Your dad? My mum has got to know more than him."

"No," said Luna. "Not exactly. Though there was an article in the _Quibbler _once about it that he handed me. It explained all of that in great detail."

Thankfully, Hermiones imagination shut down then and there. She didn't even want to think about what an article in the _Quibbler _might have to say on that subject. Quickly, before Luna could go on, Hermione said, "Well, I should remind the two of you that my parents are dentists . . . not the same thing as being a doctor, but they know better than to keep me in the dark about the subject. And Muggle contraception works very well. So unless you know of something that is a hundred percent effective, I don't think we need to be having this conversation, thanks." Mentally, she noted that it would be a very good thing for them not to have this conversation, otherwise, she'd wind up having to explain to Harry why she was so green during dinner. And that would be even worse.

Ginny and Luna exchanged speaking glances. "I didn't know that Muggles had such effective measures, said Ginny with a shrug. But if you're sure you don't want to know . . . ."

"I am positive," said Hermione. _And if I ever do want to know, Ill look in a book. Besides, Harry and I are no where near that stage in our relationship . . . well, we wouldnt be anywhere near that stage if we were in a real relationship, instead of this thing thats between us. _"I do appreciate the concern though," Hermione said, "but I really must be off. Ive got to start revising more for Ancient Runes. Otherwise, I might as well not even bother taking that N.E.W.T." With that, Hermione rushed off, leaving her friends behind.

That was the end of that subject, and the two of them never tried to broach it with her again. Hermione had to wonder if Ron had said anything to Harry though, for Harry was positively red with embarrassment when she met them in the library. Hermione had asked what was wrong, which led to Harry choking and Ron smirking. That was enough of an answer in itself, although it was likely that the silly boys didn't realize that.

It was during those study sessions that Hermione felt that she did her best work as a girlfriend. She was understanding and patient, and always willing to try explaining things in a new way so Harry could understand them. She was also amenable to study breaks as wellperhaps too amenable, she already had taken to wearing turtlenecks, despite the fact that the weather was getting warmer. But not all of the time she spent with Harry could be spent with helping him study (more's the pity, as she was _really _good at it), and sooner than she would have thought, the week was over and she was faced with spending Hogsmeade weekend with him.

Of course, when she put it like that, it sounded like some sort of dreadful chore that she didn't want to do, and that was not an accurate comparison. Hermione genuinely liked spending time with Harry. The thing was she could feel herself falling deeper and deeper into this relationship, which wasnt ever supposed to be one, and Hermione knew she was just setting herself up to be hurt once Harry figured out that Hermione wasnt the girl for him. But she couldn't help herself. Her heart wouldn't listen to her brain, the silly thing. Hence, it seemed that she spent the entire day at Hogsmeade literally joined at the hip to Harry --and she had never enjoyed herself more.

When the day was over and they all arrived back at Hogwarts, Hermione and Harry tumbled up the stairs to her room, ostensibly for a study session. If the truth were known, studying couldn't have been further from Hermione's mind, as she held Harry's hand as they climbed the stairs. Arriving at her door, Harry stepped aside to allow her to speak the password, though he knew it as well. Hermione somehow managed to pause her laughter long enough to open the door and then tugged Harry in. He immediately leapt upon her, sending them both flying on to her bed, as he pulled her close for a kiss.

Unfortunately for Hermione, the act of him pushing her on to her bed, dislodged the parchment she was keeping in her pocket, but she was too engrossed in him to even notice. Harry, however, having been a Seeker for all his years at Hogwarts, had noticed and upon ending the kiss, had retrieved the parchment from the floor.

"What's this, Hermione?" he asked, his eyes teasing. "Were you trying to study while I was paying for everything at Zonko's?"

"Harry!" Hermione sat upright on her bed and lunged for the parchment. She couldn't let him read it. "That's personal. Give it back, please."

Harry sighed. "And it seems like I guessed right. Honestly, Hermione, what could you be studying then? It's supposed to be our day off . . . and N.E.W.T.s aren't that close to us yet." He shook his head and turned to the parchment. "Well? Care to confess?"

"I wasn't studying, Harry," said Hermione.

"So you mean to say that you never pulled this out to read?"

Hermione blushed. She had actually, while Harry and Ron had been at the Three Broomsticks about the latest Quidditch news. She opened her mouth to explain that away, but Harry already had his answer. He had seen the look in her eyes.

"In that case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me taking a look at what fascinated you so on our date," he announced. Before Hermione could do a thing, he unrolled the parchment.

His jaw dropped. And not in a good way. His mouth opened and shut a few times, with no sound coming out. Finally he said, "What is this, Hermione?"

Hermione winced at the tone of his voice, but decided to try her best to convince him it wasnt that bad. "It's a list," she said, looking at her hands. "A list on things I should do to be a good girlfriend."

"Oh. I see." There was an awful moment of silence before he continued. "And being a good girlfriend means having a . . . let's see, what did you call this again? Oh yes. Having an exit strategy."

"I . . . its not like that, Harry."

"It certainly looks like that." Harry looked up at her, his eyes full of anger and pain. "Damn it, Hermione! If you weren't interested, why didn't you just say so? Do you pity me so much that you'd date me for a couple weeks, just because you think I can't handle rejection? I'll have you know that I'm not like that!"

"I know that, Harry. I know." Hermione wrung her hands. This was awful. How did everything go so wrong, so quickly. "And I wasn't going to break up with you. Really I wasn't."

"What's this part then?" Harry stabbed a finger at the parchment. "About gently telling me that you know that it's not working out. Seems like you made plans"-- he spat that word--"to break up with me! From the very start!"

"No, Harry. I . . . okay, I know how it looks. But it's not like that at all. That part . . . that was what I should do when you figure out that I'm not good enough for you, that's all."

"You're not good enough for me?" Harry looked shocked at those words. "You're good enough to be my friend, aren't you? What makes you not good enough to be my girlfriend?"

"It's different. I mean . . . friendship is very important, but love is . . . I don't know how to say this but . . . ."

"You're grasping at straws now. He stood up. "But have it your way. If you think you're not good enough to be my girlfriend, you probably think that you're not good enough to be my friend. I shan't trouble you any more." And just like that, he was gone.

**Author's note:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last couple of chapters. I'd love to hear what you think of this  
one.


	4. Chapter Four

**Unexpected**  
**Disclaimer: **I dont own HP or any of these characters. That belongs to JKR, Scholastic Books, Warner Brothers, etc. 

**Chapter Three**

The next couple of days were awful. Harry wouldnt speak to her at all. He wouldn't even acknowledge her existence. Everyone knew that the two of them had had a spat, and so Hermione had to deal with advice from her friends as well. Of course, all of the advice she received consisted of her speaking with Harry, which was kind of hard to do considering that he wasn't speaking to her.

This fight between the two of them was really taking so much out of her. She couldnt sleep at night. She simply tossed and turned the nights away, wondering what might have been. She cursed herself for bringing that list to Hogsmeade that day, and she cursed the fact that Harry didn't let her have it back. If she hadn't brought it or if he hadn't read it, they would have still been together at the moment. Granted that they might not have stayed together for very long, as rumor had it that Harry already had his eye on a pretty Ravenclaw, but Hermione desperately wanted to have that time. She didn't know how much she had fallen in love with him, until she had lost him.

When her last class of the day was finished, Hermione headed back towards her room, instead of on to the Great Hall for dinner. She had been skipping dinner for the last several days, as it was too painful to see Harry there ignoring her. She could usually eat breakfast and head out to the library before he even arrived. She ate lunch when their schedules were different and she knew he wouldn't be there. And sometimes, late at night, after she had finished her rounds, she snuck into the kitchen and got a few tidbits to snack on before going to bed.

Reaching her room, Hermione spoke the password and walked in, the door automatically closing behind her. She had just placed her books on her desk, when she heard a voice say, "Skipping dinner again? That's not good for you, Hermione."

Hermione whirled around to see Harry standing in front of her bed. He must have let himself in, as she hadn't changed her password since the weekend. His eyes were red, and he looked as though he hadn't been getting enough sleep. Usually, that would have been enough to tug at her heartstrings, but what he had said had annoyed Hermione.

"As if you care," she shot back. "Considering how youve been ignoring me since then . . . and I only wanted to apologize."

"Ignoring you?" Harry repeated. "Okay, so I was ignoring you the first day or so, but then I was bloody mad. And I like to think that I had the right to be. But then, you started avoiding me . . . or isn't that the reason why you're skipping dinner again?"

"Do you have a problem with that? I thought that would make it easier for you, so you wouldn't have to work so hard at ignoring my very existence," Hermione shot back.

Harry turned red and began pacing back and forth. "What was I supposed to do?" he asked. "There I was, heartbroken, and the girl who had broken my heart wanted to talk about it, to convince me that it wasn't all that bad and to get me to forgive her for making me feel so bad. And I didn't want to listen. Because I knew I' forgive you and that you'd think that things were all better . . . and they wouldn't be." He paused for a moment. "I don't think they'll ever be."

"And so youd prefer for us not to be friends?" Hermione asked. "Because that's how you were treating me. As though you didn't want to even be around me and so . . . ."

Harry snorted. "I thought you wouldn't mind, seeing how you probably think you're not good enough to be friends with me."

"I'm not." Hermione bit her lip. "I'm not. Thats why we weren't friends right away. Because if I was good enough, you wouldn't have been annoyed by me. But I thought since then . . . I thought that you didn't think that way." She glanced over at Harry, who had stopped pacing and was now just staring at her. "Thanks for proving me wrong."

"Hermione, I never thought that," he told her. "Never. Not even once. I always thought you were good enough to be my friend. " He smiled bitterly. "And I thought you were perfect for my girlfriend. Still do, actually."

That was when Hermione did something she never dreamed that she would be reckless enough to do. She crossed the room and kissed him, figuring that she might never get the chance to do so again and she might as well take her chance while she still could. His reaction was instantaneous, opening his mouth under hers so she could taste him and pulling her within his arms embrace. They managed to make their way to her bed, with him landing on top of her, his hands everywhere and her kisses now trailing down his neck and leaving marks. A small part of her was screaming that this was going to fast, but she ignored it. She wanted this, to have him as a part of her and from his reaction, he wanted it too. As soon as their clothes were finally off, he was inside he--rpainful at first, but getting better with each moment, as they got closer and closer, until she didn't know where she started and he left off, until all she could do was scream his name in pleasure as he thrust into her one last time.

Harry was the first to speak after it was over. "You know," he said, "I do believe youve never kissed me before."

"Harry Potter!" Hermione said indignantly. "Did you fall and hurt your head? I've kissed you plenty of times before."

"No, you haven't," he insisted. "I kissed you plenty of times and you always let me, but you were never the one to start the kiss."

Hermione opened her mouth and racked her brain for a time when she had kissed him first. To her astonishment, she couldn't think of a several time. "I . . . I guess that I forgot to put that on my list." As soon as she said those words, she wanted to take them back. She should have known better to mention that to Harry.

"Right. The list." Harry idly brushed his fingers against her face, then moving on to play with her hair. "The list you kept on how to be a girlfriend. I guess you did leave out a few things." His hand dropped down and sought out hers. "Would you like to try again?"

Hermione gasped.

"Ive missed you, Hermione, more than you could know. And I'd like us to be together again . . . and I think you'd like it as well considering what we . . . ." Harry blushed, coughing. "But I want it to be for real. For both of us. So no lists, Hermione. And Merlin! No plans on what to do in case--"

He was stopped from finishing that thought by Hermione leaning up to kiss him once again. "Okay," she said. "I missed you too--being apart was so hard because I love you so much. And I . . . well, it's going to last forever, right? "

He nodded his head. "Right."

"Right. It will. So I won't have to worry about you falling out of love with me." Hermione's lower lip trembled. She was too sensible to think that forever was a promise that they could never breakbut she wanted him and she wanted to take the chance that they would keep it.

"I won't, Hermione," said Harry. He cupped her face with his hands, staring straight at her with those brilliant eyes of his. "And if you give me the chance, I'll prove it to you."

"I know you will. I know you will." Hermione smiled. "And will you let me have that list back?"

Harry stiffened at those words. "I said that I didn't want you to keep a list, that I wanted you to be in it for real--"

"I want it back to burn it, Harry," Hermione told him. "So I know you're not up torturing yourself at night reading it. That's all. Because I want to be yours, for now and forever more."

"Good. Because that's exactly how I feel."

* * *

Hermione snuggled closer to Harry, as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to depart. It was hard to believe everything that had happened. They had wound up burning that list together, each promising each other they would always be together. Hermione had a bad scare a few weeks ago that he would break that promise, when Harry had went off for that last duel. But he had come back and she had never been happier.

It had been hard, though, dealing with her parents. Neither of them had taken the news that she was moving in with Harry after Hogwarts well. They had both written her, separately and together, that though Harry seemed like a sweet boy, Hermione was moving too fast in her relationship with him. Hermione, however, wasn't about to let Harry be alone after finishing Hogwarts, especially when she wanted to be with him so much.

Of course, Hermione didn't want to think of what their reactions would be when she told them that she and Harry would be getting married before the year was out. She hadn't ever imagined getting married so young, but in the end, there wasn't much reason to put it off, especially given the events of Harrys life and the fact that they both knew this was it for them.

"A penny for your thoughts, love," said Harry, watching her through drowsy eyes.

"I thought that was supposed to be a knut in the Wizarding World, Harry." She kissed him on the cheek to take away any sting there might be to her words.

"Probably." He shrugged his shoulders. "But what were you thinking of?"

"I was thinking of how best to tell my parents that they're soon going to have the son they always want."

Harry turned pink. "I still can't believe you said yes."

"And why ever not?"

"I'd thought youd say its too soon or that were too young."

"It is too soon and we are too young," said Hermione. "But it's us, so I think we'll be okay." Hermione smiled at him. "And considering the fact that you've promised to prove to me that you'll always love me, I thought it would be a good idea to give you my entire life to keep that promise."

"It is a good idea," he said. "I think it's the best idea youve ever had." With that, he kissed her, as the train pulled away from the station.

**_finis_**_  
_

_Author's note: It's been a long time since the last update, and for that, I apologize. Thanks to everyone who has left reviews for this fic. I hope you've enjoyed this part as well. I am planning to finish the fics I had been working on--the problem with this plan, unfortunately, is finding the time to write and edit everything. Hopefully, it won't take too long though._

_ Finally, I hope that I've managed to reinsert all the dashes, apostrophes, and quotation marks that disappeared when I uploaded this fic. Please forgive me for any such mistakes that I might have missed.  
_


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